Our beginnings

Rose Schwinghamer 

Owner and Saddle Fitter,  Western Canada 

Virginie is CommonWealth Saddles Fitter for the Quebec/Ontario area, as well as Maritime provinces. Virginie’s background in developing young sport horses is unrivaled, and her vast knowledge set regarding equine movement and development is widely appreciated, especially when fitting for competitive clients. Virginie previously fit for Devoucoux Saddles from France, and she understands exactly how important it is that both horse and rider are comfortable, as well as where riders need to be in the saddle to allow them to help their horses accomplish the career they were bred for. In addition to working with CommonWealth Saddles, Virginie also runs a bustling competitive team and riding school in Montreal.

Virginie is an essential part of the team and brings her extensive equestrian background as a rider and coach to CommonWealth Saddles. As a competitive rider herself (Eventing), she is well rounded in all aspects of sport, and healthy development of horses. She can “talk-the-talk and walk-the-walk” and is certainly an important member of our team. We welcome Virginie to the CommonWealth Saddles Team and cannot wait to service the Quebec/Ontario market!

Kiera Allen

Sales Manager (USA Sales)

Nicole is the CommonWealth saddle fitter for the BC region. She met Rose in 2019 in Ladner, BC, while saddle hunting for a long-time client, where Nicole demonstrated her knowledge and understanding of equine movement and anatomy along with an eye for saddle fit, and balance. With her education and desire to do right by the horse, joining the Commonwealth team was a natural fit. Nicole feels passionate about producing quality horses who are given opportunities to move and perform at their best mentally and physically, starting from the ground up. She also recognizes that proper saddle fit plays a large role in a horse’s ability to move and develop correctly.

Nicole was brought into horses by her step mom who was an upper level event rider and ex race horse jockey. She loves the competitive arena and has many years experience competing in the hunter/ jumper rings, and dressage but her heart will always lay in Eventing. By her teenage years, she was retraining ottbs for a breeder and began coaching at 17. In college, she obtained business and marketing education while starting young sport horses and apprenticing with a local body worker. She continued her own equine journey and has had the opportunity to work with some of the greats in the industry with her own horses as well as client horses, and still to this day takes multiple riding lessons per week, and believes strongly in continuing education throughout her career. Never stop learning! Nicole has been coaching for over 15 years and has an established training program developing young sport horses and riders. Nicole is also a certified body worker. When Nicole isn’t working, you can find her producing her own horses, at clinics, shows and events and of course spending time with her family.

Lyndsey has been riding and working with horses since 2001 when she took her first working student job with a hunter/jumper and Morgan Show Horse program in Kansas. Since then she has had the opportunity to work, ride and learn from some incredible coaches in trainers across various disciplines, everything from hunter/jumpers to natural horsemanship to saddle seat and eventing. She has experience worked as a saddle fitter since 2017 and is also a certified Pilates instructor. She is a true believer in a holistic approach to riding that includes developing strength in both the horse and rider and ensuring that riders aren’t fighting against their tack. Her passion for helping horses and riders perform at their absolute best goes hand in hand with the Commonwealth philosophy and she’s loved seeing the changes in her clients horses when they experience the freedom of movement Meyer saddles allow.

Emily Eades

Saddle Manager and Shipping

Jen is the Operations Manager for CommonWealth Saddles and is responsible for the behind the scenes tasks that allow the fitters do what they do best – fit! Her goal is to work alongside the team to give the CommonWealth community the premier experience they have come to know and love. Jen fell in love with horses at age eleven and quickly found herself spending all of her time helping out at the barn. Having taught beginner and intermediate lessons for a few years, Jen took time to focus on schooling and joined the equestrian team at her University in the United Kingdom. “I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t volunteering to teach, groom, or catch ride – I’ve just always wanted to fill my time with horses! I’m so grateful to join the CommonWealth team and continue working in the equestrian community.”

When she’s not at the barn, Jen can be found walking her Labrador Issy, or traveling with her husband, Peter.

Rose Schwinghamer started CommonWealth Saddles in 2019. Born in Montreal, Qc, Rose spent much of her childhood in St-Henri, a borough of Montreal with a rich history of leather tanneries, developing an appreciation of quality leather craft. Horses have always held a major role in Rose’s life, and lead her to pursue a Masters of Veterinary Sciences from the University of Calgary in 2014. Upon graduation, Rose worked for the University of Calgary in the Veterinary Anatomy Department allowing her to further explore and develop her passion for equine physiology. Being thoroughly dedicated not only to the physiology of horses, but to the sport itself, Rose is also an Equestrian Canada NCCP certified Instructor.

Rose has been involved with saddle fit for more than a decade and was most recently recognized for successfully launching Devoucoux Saddles in Canada in 2017. Following this accomplishment, Rose proudly launched CommonWealth Saddles.

“I wanted to build an honest, transparent, Canadian company that exists for the common well-being of both horse and rider, ultimately allowing both to benefit from long happy careers.” –Rose

When Rose is not busy working hard at ensuring horse and rider are making into their perfectly fit saddles, she spends her time lessoning on her own two horses, running, gardening and occasionally coaching.

Virginie is CommonWealth Saddles Fitter for the Quebec/Ontario area, as well as Maritime provinces. Virginie’s background in developing young sport horses is unrivaled, and her vast knowledge set regarding equine movement and development is widely appreciated, especially when fitting for competitive clients. Virginie previously fit for Devoucoux Saddles from France, and she understands exactly how important it is that both horse and rider are comfortable, as well as where riders need to be in the saddle to allow them to help their horses accomplish the career they were bred for. In addition to working with CommonWealth Saddles, Virginie also runs a bustling competitive team and riding school in Montreal.

Virginie is an essential part of the team and brings her extensive equestrian background as a rider and coach to CommonWealth Saddles. As a competitive rider herself (Eventing), she is well rounded in all aspects of sport, and healthy development of horses. She can “talk-the-talk and walk-the-walk” and is certainly an important member of our team. We welcome Virginie to the CommonWealth Saddles Team and cannot wait to service the Quebec/Ontario market!

Kiera began working with Rose in 2016 and has been hooked on the world of saddle fitting ever since. She has obtained her Veterinary Technical Assistant certification through Olds College and is currently furthering her career by taking the Equine Science program through Guelph University. Kiera began riding at the age of nine and has been at it ever since. When she is not riding, you can find her grooming for prestigious riders and taking care of some of the top sport horses out there! Kiera is very excited to be working with Rose again, and looking forward to meeting new people while working alongside some of the many talented minds in the industry. In the little free time that she has, Kiera likes to spend time with her dog Norman and her horse Will. She also enjoys camping, hiking, hunting and anything else that gets her outside.

Nicole is the CommonWealth saddle fitter for the BC region. She met Rose in 2019 in Ladner, BC, while saddle hunting for a long-time client, where Nicole demonstrated her knowledge and understanding of equine movement and anatomy along with an eye for saddle fit, and balance. With her education and desire to do right by the horse, joining the Commonwealth team was a natural fit. Nicole feels passionate about producing quality horses who are given opportunities to move and perform at their best mentally and physically, starting from the ground up. She also recognizes that proper saddle fit plays a large role in a horse’s ability to move and develop correctly.

Nicole was brought into horses by her step mom who was an upper level event rider and ex race horse jockey. She loves the competitive arena and has many years experience competing in the hunter/ jumper rings, and dressage but her heart will always lay in Eventing. By her teenage years, she was retraining ottbs for a breeder and began coaching at 17. In college, she obtained business and marketing education while starting young sport horses and apprenticing with a local body worker. She continued her own equine journey and has had the opportunity to work with some of the greats in the industry with her own horses as well as client horses, and still to this day takes multiple riding lessons per week, and believes strongly in continuing education throughout her career. Never stop learning! Nicole has been coaching for over 15 years and has an established training program developing young sport horses and riders. Nicole is also a certified body worker. When Nicole isn’t working, you can find her producing her own horses, at clinics, shows and events and of course spending time with her family.

Emily was recently brought on to the team as a saddle manager. She is in charge of knowing where all our saddles are at all times! Along with this she helps with a lot of the “behind the scene” tasks, such as putting orders together, shipping and answering all of Rose’s questions. “I started riding when I was eight, and with my long-lasting devotion to this sport, I was thrilled to join the team. I had the pleasure to work with Rose back in 2017, and have watched her grow her company over the years. I said yes to the opportunity as I know all the hard work and devotion that goes into this. I am very thrilled to see CommonWealth Saddles continue to flourish, and I am so glad to be part of it!”

On her weekends off, she is often found in the mountains. Emily enjoys a range of activities, such as hiking, rock climbing, backpacking, and skiing! “Anything that gets me outside and keeps me active makes me happy!” – Emily

Clarisa is the CommonWealth Saddles Marketing and Social Media Coordinator.
A budding social work student, she loves interacting and creating lasting connections with CommonWealth clients over Instagram, Facebook & now TikTok! Clarisa’s passion for horses began when she first saw Spirit, Stallion of the Cimmaron as a child; but she was a competitive snowboarder before starting lessons at a local hunter/jumper barn. She says that once she started, she just couldn’t stop! She greatly enjoys the time she spends with her horse Barron, and when she is out of the saddle she can be found anywhere in the mountains or working on a new short film.

All content and photography © 2021 CommonWealth Saddles